Our September Etsy Style Guide Challenge Winner IS...

Elegant Moroccan Pattern Rub... creatiate $12.00	Pale pink branch wall hangin... WoodenSage $25.00	Fall Smock Dress - In Coffee... littletboutiqu... $57.00	Mauve ceramic bangle nr.3 LAccentNou $37.00
Brown indian tribal horse ha... theancientmuse $33.00	Dusty Pink ... 1 tissue pape... PomLove $4.50	Three woodland porcelain but... peifferStudios $12.00	Rustic Cables Knitted Autumn... KnitFrekkles $56.00
Vintage Crumb Catcher / Sile... OneDecember $19.00	Oval China Floral Platter wi... 22BayRoad $16.00	Shabby Chic Mauve Flower Pin... BrokenGhostCou... $29.00	Vintage 1950's Melmac Du... junkyardgarden $16.00
Blush pink brooch rose felte... Baymut $25.00	Kindle 6" Leather Case ... HelgaWigandt $30.00	Paper brooch - Winter series paperiaarre $11.00	Crochet Thread 3 Ply Linen T... Nothingbutstri... $6.50

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Congratulations to Aki of Etsy shop oktak for the winning Style Guide Collection Rose Smoke!  Our challenge theme this month was Get Your Fall Color On and we referenced the fall pantone colors for inspiration.  "Rose Smoke" happens to be one of those colors - a warm pink tone that is muted, but vibrant and alive.  Not only did Aki put together a style guide based on this color, but she also successfully captured a feeling.  This is not any old feeling, but what one might imagine the color rose smoke to feel like - soft and feminine, but with a touch of mystery!  Simply stunning Aki!  Congratulations!  

You might be wondering what an Etsy 'style guide' is all about.  As shop owners on Etsy, we take you Inside Etsy as your personal shopping guides.  We do this by using a tool on Etsy called a 'treasury' which allows us to showcase 16 of our favorite items together in a group.  We use our eye for style and inside knowledge of where to go to find quality shops to bring you some of the BEST that Etsy has to offer!  We gather here on the blog once a month to hold a challenge where the winning shop gets an item from their shop included in the following month's collections.  The challenge part makes it fun as shop owners get to support one another, but it also focuses our curating skills around a common theme.  The theme is used as a launching pad and our curators are free to let their creative juices run free!   

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With 89 submissions, it's not hard to imagine how difficult it is for us to choose just one winner!  Amber and I both review all the submissions, then we each come up with a list of our top 10.  Well, at least that's the goal!  It's usually more like our top 20!!  Then we work together to narrow it down even further until we both agree on the winner.  As there are always so many wonderful collections to choose from, we always like to highlight some of our favorites!  Like this collection below by Nic of Etsy shop KnitFrekkles.  As the days are getting shorter, it's time to admit that summer is over.  Good bye flip-flop weather, hello wool socks!  It's so true Nic - it IS getting chilly out!  Here we're getting our fall layers on and going out for one last hike!  So beautiful and inviting!

'Baby Its Gettin' Cold Outside' by KnitFrekkles

Unisex Textured Striped Pom ... FallCode $38.00	Take a Hike Poster: Summer C... sweetharvey $18.00	Little Squirrel's Acorn ... creatiate $7.00	nature woodland photograph b... AmandaRaeK $35.00
Norwegian Sweater // Vintage... adVintagous $42.00	Winter Walk: Chorus, giclee ... 88editions $75.00	Glass Lamp Industrial Light ... LukeLampCo $59.00	Daisy and burlap hippie tie ... BeSomethingNew $38.00
Hand knit high knee wool soc... RGideas $68.00	Landscape Hiking Photo, gree... semisweetstudi... $18.00	Fern - papercut greeting car... Papercutout $10.00	Nutty brown felted gloves wi... aureliaLT $54.00
Grove Necklace in Green and ... MeghannRader $65.00	Modern ceramic mug green bro... thecupcakekid $22.00	Deep Mauve Textured Porcelai... peifferStudios $24.00	Put a Name on it. Customize ... ChipmunkCheeks $3.00

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With the change of seasons comes a shift in not only temperature, but also the colors in nature.  The lush green of summer gives way to the rich earthy brown tones of fall.  Jana of Etsy shop BrokenGhostCouture took her inspiration from this change in scenery with her collection Amber Autumn, Blue Nights.   Using these 2 colors, Jana evokes the feeling of a warm autumn day that slowly transitions into the blue of the night.  Amber is a color that many associate with fall, but we loved how Jana added the twist of blue to her collection.  Such lovely styling Jana!  

'Amber Autumn, Blue Nights' by Brokenghostcouture

Mixed Media Sculpture - insp... MeaganChaneyGu... $850.00	The Bee's Beehive - Hand... creatiate $7.00	WELCOME HOME Driftwood Sign ... SusterWoodwork... $36.00	golden purple amethyst red g... YUNILIsmiles $55.00
pillow boxes, kraft box with... greenbugmarket... $8.00	tree photo autumn decor land... AmandaRaeK $30.00	Ombre Bunting Necklace in Go... branchbound $30.00	Magnets Chevrons Triangles Z... redtilestudio $9.50
Blue lace necklace kid-mohai... AliquidTextile... $40.00	Hand-Painted Resin Jewelry C... sophiacorinneA... $33.00	Antique Big Skeleton Key Vin... frenchfelt $29.00	Look up at stars - papercut ... MimimiCards $8.00
patchwork clutch in golden t... DaTartaruga $28.00	New York City skyline, Manha... NancyFalsoPhot... $25.00	Orange Agate Dragonfly Golde... petracollectio... $32.00	Golden Orange Decorator Book... planetalissa $20.00

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What's not to love about color - or rather "colour" as they say over in Europe!  Irina of Etsy shop ProjectSarafan is based in Dublin, Ireland and looks to the color Rhapsody in her collection Colour Systems.  She picks up on this slightly dusty purple color, but then accents it with soft blues, grays, cream, and green tones.  Yummy!  Through her styling, Irina helps us to see the inner beauty of this color as it works within a larger system!  This color on it's own might not be the most exciting thing to behold, but layered together within a 'system' this color comes alive and is quite beautiful!  Modern and very eye catching Irina!   

'colour systems' by ProjectSarafan

Jacaranda Storm tsktsk $460.00	Elegant Moroccan Pattern Rub... creatiate $12.00	statement NECKLACE, ceramic ... karoArt $45.50	High Waist "Ellen Basic... iheartnorwegia... $65.00
geometric flower earrings wi... pergamondo $16.00	silver summer meadow brooch ... hybridhandmade $154.00	personalized with word, pant... mamableudesign... $38.00	Vintage Iron Plant Stand lovintagefinds $45.00
Tillandsia Paleacea seaandasters $5.00	Set of beige and violet hand... Buntmal $13.00	35% OFF SALE Abstract Fine A... AmeliaKayPhoto... $20.80	Vegan Mineral Eyeshadow - Sa... nakedelements $1.00
Natural Lip Gloss in Illusio... Blushie $8.00	Spring kitchen decor Sprouts... LouisestArt $22.00	Organic Baby Blanket handwov... SameheartDesig... $320.00	Two Purple Siberian Iris in ... gretchenhancoc... $100.00

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Another fall pantone color for this year is Titanium; Pantone 17-4014 to be exact!  Instead of curating a collection solely around this color, Luke of Etsy shop LukeLampCo used it as a basis for telling a story.  It's fall, the hustle and bustle of summer is over.  Wouldn't it be nice to take a little break, you know - Escape to the Mountains in Titanium?  Using both the color titanium and mountain/nature inspired items, Luke takes us on a little journey to the mountains!  You can almost feel the clean, crips air.  Such a clever way to work in the challenge theme Luke - we really enjoyed this one!

   

'Escape to the Mountains in Titanium' by LukeLampCo

Black Leather Luggage // Ant... 86home $124.00	Camp T-Shirt, Charcoal Grey ... garbella $24.00	ORIGINAL PAINTING "Than... emeraldsnow $500.00	Feather in your Cap (Large) ... creatiate $14.00
Dorm decor home office studi... LouisestArt $15.00	Test Tube Spice Rack w/ cork... TheDesignPalle... $27.00	Infinity Gray Scarf Versatil... frenchfelt $34.00	Made to Order, Large Canvas ... knifeinthewate... $40.00
Botanical Silhouettes on Vin... 88editions $108.00	hand stamped mini notebook, ... cutiepiecompan... $8.00	Moose Silhouette In Bark : W... wildpulp $60.00	Let's Climb A Mountain T... Monorail $12.00
Little Houses tshirt - heath... eggagogo $20.00	Sierra Mountains - 5x7 Water... TheBarberShop $12.00	Textured Pom Pom Slouchy Hat... FallCode $38.00	Crochet Boot Cuffs in Dark S... LumiStyle $39.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

And finally...  Our challenge simply would not be complete without mentioning our resident style guide curator Jenn of Etsy shop Palimpsestic.  Ok Jenn - we can tell you had a lot of fun with this month's challenge!  We loved them all - as we always do!  Jenn has such a knack for curating collections with a twist, like her collection The Lovely Life of Cassidy Grassidy or how about Don't Mess With Cecilia's Coffee.  You have to check them out!  Why?  You'll see from this collection below.  Can you guess what one of the Pantone colors is?  Honey Gold!   So, honey and bees - that might be an expected association, but throw is Ricardo who refuses to give up his beekeeping secrets and BANG!  Your jaw drops and you are shaking your head while you wonder how this woman comes up with these ideas!!  Thank you so much Jenn - we really LOVE your creative mind and always look forward to seeing your collections!

We look forward to seeing you all here again next month!  Thank you SO much to ALL who participated!  

'Ricardo Refused to Reveal His Beekeeping Secrets' by palimpsestic

Steampunk ukulele Bass 20&... celentanowoodw... $3000.00	Cedar Strip Beehive Steidlewave $1017.00	The Bee's Honeycomb - Ha... creatiate $8.00	Lighting Lamp Hanging Light ... LukeLampCo $149.00
Tea and Honey 8 x 12 photo honeyandjampho... $25.00	Mustard Yellow Slouchy Beani... LitKnits $32.00	Toy Plane - Black and White ... OneDecember $12.50	FILE: black wall mount offic... PIGandFiSH $134.00
Pure raw comb honey - straig... honeyrunfarm $9.00	Mustard Seeds... Vintage Car... October18th $24.00	Bee Hive- Archival Print unitedthread $20.00	Ochre and gray chevron hand ... giardino $38.00
Industrial Decor Copper Pipe... McGdesign $55.00	Honey Comb Bumble Bee - Lett... ruffhouseart $10.00	Leather Guitar Strap - Gold ... moxieandoliver $119.00	Knit Fingerless Gloves, Oliv... adknit $38.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house